Cervical Spine Surgery

The cervical spine is made of seven bones that are cushioned by discs. It starts from bottom of the skull and go till shoulder. Cervical spine not only support the head and allow its movement but also control vital parts of the lower body, including the arms, legs, bowels and bladder.

Major Spinal disorders

Spinal surgery may be required to relieve the patient from cervical pain and also relief the pressure on a spinal nerve or the spinal cord caused due to any of the following conditions:

• Bulging disc
• Bone spur
• Narrowing of spinal canal
• Spinal cysts
• Spinal tumor
• Nerve/spinal cord impingement
• Spinal instability

Major symptoms caused by spinal disorders

• Neck and arm pain
• Numbness or tingling in an arm or leg
• Weakness in an arm or leg
• Difficulty walking
• Bladder or bowel problems

Types of cervical spine surgery

• Discectomy: The surgical removal of part or all of a bulging disc (disc herniation) to relieve pressure on a nerve root(s) or on the spinal cord is called discectomy.
• Laminectomy: The procedure to remove a piece of bone that forms part of the spinal canal (lamina) to relieve pressure on a spinal nerve or the spinal cord is called laminectomy.
• Discectomy and laminectomy can sometimes be performed at the same time to relieve pressure on the nerve. They are also referred as decompression procedures instead of laminectomy or discectomy.
• Foraminotomy: The procedure to enlarge the bony canal around the spinal nerve (foramen) to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve is called foraminotomy.
• Corpectomy: The procedure to remove one or more bones along with discs from spinal column is called corpectomy.
• Fusion: The procedure to refill the space between the vertebrae with substitute bone material is called fusion.